If the streets around the Gibson Farm Market on Chestnut Avenue next to Fresno State look more crowded than usual Friday morning, there’s a good reason: It’s corn time!

Now a summer tradition for many across the Valley as well as fans who flock here from out of state, Fresno State’s most-famous vegetable has drawn huge crowds in past years on the first day of sales.

It’s known to the corn cognoscenti as a particularly sweet and yummy varietal, no matter it’s color (yellow or white) or how it’s cooked (boiled or broiled) or what it’s served with (butter, salt, seasoning, or au naturel).

If you’re one of the early arrivers on Friday, you’ll get a chance to meet Fresno State’s live mascot, Victor E. Bulldog IV, who will be at the market from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

Choose Pre-Bagged or Out of the Bin

For those who are in a hurry to grab their opening-day allocation of corn, the Farm Market will have two mobile purchase stations on the north side of the market where customers can buy 10 pre-bagged ears for $10, while supplies last. If you don’t mind standing in line to select your corn out of big bins, ears are 75 cents each.

The university plants corn in different fields at different times so it’s available throughout the summer and the Labor Day weekend in September. The corn that’s going on sale at 8 a.m. Friday was planted on 68 acres on Jan. 12, the university says.

Fresno State’s first corn sales date back to 1982 after a faculty member and students planted a test field and then sold the product at a farm stand at Chestnut and Barstow avenues, three decades before the Gibson Farm Market opened.

Interest in the university’s sweet corn continued to grow but skyrocketed in recent years due to word-of-mouth and social media.

It’s Not Just About the Corn

Don’t like corn? (And if you don’t, you are weird.) There are plenty of other fresh fruit and veggie options that the university has planted on its adjacent 1,000-acre University Agricultural Laboratory that are for sale. Other current produce available at the farm market include apricots, cucumbers, green beans, nectarines, oranges, peaches, and squash. Watermelons, peppers, and tomatoes are expected to arrive in early to mid-June, and other produce like table grapes will arrive in July.

The market’s other products include two Chardonnay white wines produced by the Fresno State Winery that are 20% off through the end of June. According to the university, both pair well with sweet corn.

If you’re in the mood for a little ice cream, the campus creamery has a new flavor, black walnut, to tempt you. Two summer favorites, peach and black cherry, are returning to the creamery’s 20-flavor lineup.

But wait, there’s more: TimeOut Roast coffee is available in whole bean and ground and is locally blended and roasted by students. Food science and nutrition staff are concocting baked products and to-go meal items like cucumber salad, strawberry bread, and zucchini bread, and there’s a new hand-squeezed lemonade available in the refrigerated section of the market. (No word from the university about whether lemonade also pairs well with sweet corn. Trust your summer picnic instincts on this one.)